The present invention relates to a user interface, in particular, a user interface that allows an operator to create and store customized control panels using a features library.
To meet modern document needs, document systems have been provided with ever expanding feature sets for various local and remote applications such as document copy, document distribution, document storage, and document printing. In the past, to expand feature sets, existing control panels were usually augmented with more menu layers, an increased number of categories of features, and increased numbers of buttons and icons. As a result, end user operators are often confronted with a control panel search task in order to locate and access the particular set of features and electronic dialogs needed for a particular job.
This has only aggravated job set up complexity for operators. The problem is further intensified when multifunctional features such as fax, print, store, and distribute are required. In these situations, users and operators are often confused on the availability of features and proper selection and combination of features to achieve a given job objective. A mass of dialog information and multiple options can bewilder an operator leading to erroneous selections. In particular, a machine site given to very specific requirements is not well served by a machine control panel that continually displays unneeded prompts, options and features. Also simple job requests don't need a multitude of features and options on a control panel to accomplish the job requirement.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,081,699, assigned to the same assignee as the present invention, discloses the storing of preprogrammed jobs in preprogramming slots in memory and also discloses the transfer of preprogrammed jobs to a floppy disk for transfer to another machine. This system, however, is directed to storing preprogrammed job requirements, that is, storing in memory a given job requirement such as number of documents, copy sheet size, inserts, duplex operation, exceptions to specific pages, and other features. Thus, whenever a job requires the exact requirements or features as stored, the job can be initiated just by accessing the program slot where the requirements are stored. Such a stored program is handy for repeated identical requirements or is helpful if only slight modifications need to be made to the requirements. However, this technique only applies to job requirements and selecting features already available to complete the job. This technique is not pertinent to creating control panels and procedures used in satisfying a job requirement.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,711,560 discloses a copier which functions according to a sequence control program stored on floppy disk and loaded by a user. U.S. Pat. No. 5,218,406 discloses the use of memory cards to transfer diagnostic procedures to a machine or store diagnostic data retrieved from the machine. A difficulty with the aforementioned systems, however, is that they are directed to loading job requirements or diagnostic procedures or data from an external memory. On the other hand, the present invention is directed to an entirely different concept, the technique of fabricating and customizing the control panels or system for selecting the features to accomplish a given job requirement. The control panels and related dialog are tailored to meet a class of expected job requirements and the unique demands of a particular machine site.
It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide a new and improved user interface with the capability to selectively tailor the interface control panels and related screen dialog to meet expected job requirements. It is still another object of the present invention for an operator to provide customized control panels for a machine interface by selecting desired features from a library of features on the interface and arranging the features on a scaled representation of a control panel. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a plurality of customized user interfaces selectively tailored to particular job requirements and stored and accessed by the operator as required. Other advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds, and the features characterizing the invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification.